


Kourumi's Celebradiation 2020 Story

by TheSoleWookieCourier



Category: Fallout 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:35:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25772941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSoleWookieCourier/pseuds/TheSoleWookieCourier
Summary: This was a story written for Kourumi on tumblr (https://kourumi.tumblr.com/) for the Celebradiation 2020 event! It involves everyone's favorite synth detective, a young girl, and a peculiar group of raiders! Enjoy!
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6
Collections: Gift Writings





	Kourumi's Celebradiation 2020 Story

The opening of the door to the Valentine Detective Agency caused the agency’s namesake to look up from the pile of papers he was studying underneath a magnifying glass, the exposed gears and servos in his neck whirring .

“Hey there, Nat.” He said, a smile spreading across his face. He swiveled in his chair to face the child. The smile on his face quickly slid off as he noticed the tear-streaked cheeks of the young girl. Normally, Nick would’ve dismissed a crying child to a scraped knee or hurt feelings, but Nat Wright was different.

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” he asked as he stood and knelt next to the girl. He pulled a handkerchief from the back pocket of his slacks and handed it to Nat. She took it and blew her nose.

“It’s… really bad… Mister Valentine, you’ve gotta help me!” Nat sobbed, a fresh wave of tears coursing down her face. Patting Nat’s back, Nick guided her to his recently vacated seat. He then pulled one of the other chairs over and sat down next to her.

“Let’s just start at the beginning, Nat. What happened?” he asked gently, taking his small notebook from the breast pocket of his shirt.

“It’s the cat I’ve been taking care of, Whiskers!” Nat wailed, a fresh wave of tears streaming down her face. “He’s been missing for two days… he hasn’t touched any of the food I’ve left out for him… before that, he’d been really angry. He wouldn’t let me pet him, and yowled at me any time I got close to him.” The young girl rushed. Nick wrote as quickly as he could, making sure to get all of the important details. After writing a few additional observations, he looked up at Nat, who was sniffling and wiping her nose on her sleeve.

“Okay, kid. I don’t know easily I can find Whiskers. But I’ll do what I can. I have a friend who has a real nose for finding people coming by later this afternoon, and I’ll see if he can help. We’ll stop by your and Piper’s house, okay?” Nick said gently, putting his skeletal right hand on Nat’s shoulder. Nat nodded, sniffing hard. “For right now, I want you to go home and find anything you can that will help you find Whiskers. Can you do that for me?” Nat nodded again. “Atta girl. Alright, go on ahead and do that, and my friend and I will be by soon.” he finished, patting the girl’s back as he guided her to the door.

“Thank you, Mister Valentine.” Nat said with a shuddering breath.

“No problem, kid.” Nick smiled, closing the door. With the door shut, Nick rubbed his face and glanced at the watch on his good wrist. Nate was supposed to be back at the Agency within the next hour, and Nick was betting that Dogmeat would be with the Sole Survivor.

Reaching into the pocket of his coat, Nick withdrew a crumpled cigarette pack and a battered lighter. He lit the cigarette as he sat back at his desk, taking a long draw on it. It was purely out of habit; lacking any living tissue, there was no damage that could be done, save for the smell of stale cigarettes on his artificial skin and clothing.

Nick sat at his desk, scanning through the notes he had taken during his interview with Nat, the cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. He frowned as first impressions and thoughts came to the front of his mind, and he wrote them down. He puzzled over what could’ve happened to the missing feline.

He was hunched over his notebook when Nate and Dogmeat entered the Agency. “Hello, Nick!” Nate called out cheerfully.

“Hm.” Nick grunted distractedly, still concentrating on his notes. Nate chuckled and leaned over the detective’s shoulder.

“Shit.” Nate swore softly, causing Nick to look up from his notebook.

“What?” he asked, concerned about the guilty look on the Sole Survivor’s face.

“Did Nat come to you about the stray cat?” Nate asked sheepishly. Nick nodded and Nate groaned. “She’s not supposed to be taking care of the thing. Piper was pretty adamant about not taking care of it because she didn’t know where it came from or what diseases it was carrying.”

“So, naturally, you went behind her back and helped Nat take care of it behind your girlfriend’s back.” Nick surmised with a groan, putting his cigarette out. Nate rubbed the back of his head as he nodded, his face reddening in embarrassment. “Well then,” Nick started waspishly. “You and your dog can help me find the illegal cat.” Nate nodded quickly.

The trio exited the Agency, Dogmeat bounding down the narrow street after several birds that were searching the pathway for food. Nick and Nate chuckled as the German Shepherd barked playfully at the birds before sauntering back towards the two men.

“Now, you’ll probably have to distract Piper while I get some clues and information from Nat. Can you do that?” Nick asked as they drew closer to the Wright residence.

“Yeah. Just be quick.” Nate replied.”I don’t know how long I can stall her.

The three lucked out, though. Piper was not currently at the combination printing press office and home, causing Nate to sigh in relief. Nat was sitting at a desk in the corner, but came running over to the detective and Sole Survivor. “Nate is the friend who can help you find Whiskers?” Nat asked, her tone incredulous and disappointed.

Nick laughed as Nate’s face fell at the child’s scathing remark. “No, Nat. Dogmeat is gonna help me find Whiskers. Dogs can smell loads better than humans, so we’re gonna see id Dogmeat can sniff out where our wayward kitty has gone.”

Nat nodded, seeming to understand. She grasped Nick’s hand and pulled him over to her desk. On the desk, she had collected a small brush, a small bowl, and a blanket. Nick squatted to more closely inspect the objects. A smile slowly spread across his face.

“Hey Nat? Could you get me two clean rags?” he asked. Nat nodded, her face confused, but she dashed quickly to the kitchen before returning with two clean pieces of fabric.

Taking one in his left hand, Nick carefully wiped down his skeletal right hand before placing the other rag in his left hand. Then, with near surgical precision, the detective carefully plucked several hairs from the blanket and placed them in the rag in his left hand.

“Bingo.” he grinned. “Dogmeat, come here.” he called. Dogmeat padded over to the detective, tail wagging happily. Nick offered the rag containing cat hair to the canine, who sniffed at the rag, seeming to instantly understand what Nick wanted him to do. Dogmeat moved away from the detective and began sniffing around the perimeter of the room before sitting and scratching at the door. Nick folded the evidence cloth and handed it to Nate as he stood up. Nate chuckled.

“Never gets old.” Nate said, shaking his head in amazement.

“Right?” Nick said with a complimentary chuckle. “Hold on to that, and don’t lose it.” Turning to Nat, he ruffled the little girl’s hair. “Hopefully we’ll be back with your little lost kitty soon.”

“Thank you so much, Mister Valentine!” Nat cried, hugging the synth.

Once outside, Dogmeat resumed trying to locate the cat by it’s scent. Within seconds, the German Shepherd began mounting the steps to lead out of Diamond City, nose to the ground.

“Guess we’d better stick close.” Nate wryly commented as they had to jog to try and keep pace with the dog.

“It’s one way to get the coolant pumping.” Nick grinned, keeping his attention on the dog. They had to stop twice to let Dogmeat regain the scent from the hairs they had brought along, but within an hour, it seemed like Dogmeat had figured out where Whiskers was. But there was a problem. Voices up ahead caused the two men to stop and drop into a crouch. Dogmeat continued a little further up.

“Dogmeat!” Nate hissed, causing the canine to stop and turn around. Nate groaned, looking at his Pip-boy as Dogmeat approached the two.

“What?” Nick asked, turning to the other man.

“Fat Bob and his gang have holed up in the metro station up ahead, the old Andrew Station.” Nate stated dejectedly. “Dogmeat, come here.” he hissed again, causing the canine who had begun to wander off to stop and look at the Sole Survivor with an expression that could be described as confusion.

“And who is Fat Bob?” Nick asked cautiously.

“Fat Bob is a raider boss who’s been leading or sending out raiding parties against some settlements. He’s known for stealing people’s animals: dogs, brahmin, you name it.” Nate said, sounding tired. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to… deal with him for a couple weeks, but so far nothing. I guess I should’ve known that a cat would be irresistible to a gang that steals anima… Dogmeat, where are you going?”

Dogmeat had begun walking around the building, crouched low to the ground, ears flat. He was sniffing furiously again. Turning back to the Sole Survivor, Nick shrugged and began following the dog, crouching to avoid being seen through the blasted out windows. The dog stopped beside a door. Nate reached out and gingerly turned the knob. The door swung open quietly, and both men sighed, letting out the breaths they didn’t realize they’d been holding.

Just as the trio began to enter the building, they heard screams. Looking at each other again, Nick and Nate both drew their weapons, holding them at the ready. The yells and screams got louder as they further entered the old station. Dogmeat growled, then launched into the next open room, barking and snapping his teeth. After a moment’s hesitation, the two men followed the dog. With weapons at the ready, Nick and Nate scanned the arena, looking for the source of the commotion.

What met their eyes could only be described as bizarre. Several raiders were cowering in a corner of the station, while half a dozen more were standing in the middle of the room in a circle, weapons out. At the far end of the room, a portly man with a Yao Guai skull on his head and a large scepter in one of his hands was barking commands to the other raiders. The Sole Survivor and detective watched as Dogmeat bit one of the raiders in the center of the room on the calf and yanked her to the ground. Her yelp of surprise alerted the others to the presence of the trio in search of a lost cat. Angry yells escaped the lips of the readers in the middle of the room, and they began charging the two men.

Nick and Nate glanced at each other before responding to the imminent threat. Bullets from the two guns were non-lethal, and soon the five that had charged the two searchers were incapacitated, nursing wounds. Dogmeat had released the raider he had pulled to the ground and had charged the man with theYalu Guai skull helmet. The dog was circling the man, teeth bared and growling.

“Who the hell are you?!” The skull-man asked, swinging his scepter to keep Dogmeat out of range.

“Just a couple of concerned citizens, looking for a lost pet.” Nick answered flippantly, reloading his pipe pistol while Nate kept his aim trained on the skull-man. “Who might you be?”

“I am Fat Bob, and these are my followers. We look to create the largest collection of animals for the viewing pleasure of all of the people of the Commonwealth!” Fat Bob yelled grumpily, continuing to bat at Dogmeat with his scepter.

“You want to make a zoo for everyone in the Commonwealth?” Nate asked incredulously. “Any chance you’ve got a cat? It’s long haired, white, but looks like it rolled in soot?”

“You mean the spawn beast?” Fat Bob spat “Aye, we’ve got the creature. It took out Steve’s eye yesterday when he tried to feed it. It scratched my followers something fierce… Brutus has gouges in his arm bad enough that we had to stitch him up!”

“So where is the cat? All we want is to take him back to the little girl who takes care of him.” Nick said tensely. “Let us take the cat and we’ll be outta here.”

“Oh, you can take it if you can catch it and it’s hellspawn!” Fat Bob cackled deliriously. “But I wish you the best!” he finished, gesturing upstairs with his scepter. Nick looked at Nate.

“Keep an eye on everyone. Make sure no one tries anything.” he muttered out of the side of his mouth. Nate nodded grimly, pulling a shotgun from the pack on his back and dual wielding his shotgun and pistol. Nick holstered his pistol and gingerly climbed the stairs to the second floor.

The upper floor was chaos. Dirty mattresses and old sleeping bags were scattered pell-mell, as if the occupants had quickly abandoned them under duress. Cabinets and dressers were on their sides, their contents mixed with the mess. Nick snorted derisively, and began to search the room for Whiskers. There were no obvious signs of the cat, so Nick zeroed in on a corner and began walking over to it.

As Nick stepped closer, he noticed a large dresser was still upright. He took another step and heard a noise that crescendoed before dropping into a vibrating growl. Nick stopped in his tracks, cocking his head towards the noise. The noise repeated, and Nick knelt on one knee, peering under the dresser. A pair of blue orbs that flashed yellow met his gaze, and followed by a third noise.

“Hey there, Whiskers.” Nick coaxed, holding out his left hand. “C’mere, kitty.” He rubbed his fingers together. The orbs lifted slightly and seemed to move forward.

“Pspspspspsps,” Nick clicked, continuing to rub his fingers together. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” he promised softly.

The cat finally poked its head out from underneath the dresser, ears twitching. It slowly slunk out from underneath the dresser, hesitantly sniffing at Nick’s proffered hand. After several seconds, the cat began to rub up against the detective’s hand, pressing its head into Nick’s palm before flopping onto the floor. It had an expectant look on its face.

Nick carefully slid his hand underneath the feline and carefully scooped it up. The cat did not resist, instead resting its head on Nick’s left shoulder. Smiling, the detective stroked the feline’s head with his skeletal right hand. He turned around and began to step away. He made it two steps when he heard something scratching at what he assumed was the bottom of the dresser.

Confused, Nick turned around and stepped back to the dresser. Kneeling once again, he peered under the dresser. A faint mewl reached his ears, causing Nick to drop Whiskers to the floor in surprise. Whiskers flattened against the floor and slid under the dresser. Several seconds later, the cat reappeared, holding a small kitten by the scruff of its neck.

“Well, then… This is quite the development!” Nick chuckled, gently taking the kitten from its mother. Whiskers disappeared underneath the dresser once again, returning with another kitten. Nick began placing the kittens in the pockets of his trench coat as Whiskers continued to bring the infants to the detective.

Soon, Nick had seven kittens in his pockets and the proud mother in his arms. Reaching the first floor of the metro station, Nick called for his companions as he backed out of the door slowly. When the trio made it to the street, Nate finally noticed that Nick had Whiskers.

“You got him! Now let’s get home!” he said excitedly.

Nick roared with laughter. “First off, I’ve got  **_her_ ** . Someone needs to teach you basic biology. And second, you have some explaining to do to Nat  **_and_ ** Piper!”


End file.
